![[images/Insta360 X4 The Absolute Best Settings.webp]] # Insta360 X4 The Absolute Best Settings [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJBUchWCTEk) · MountMedia · 2024-11-18 · 17:11. Written from the creator's English subtitles and chapters. ## Outline - **0:00 – Insta360 X4 The Best Settings.** To get the best out of the X4, especially in less-than-ideal conditions, you need to look closely at the settings. Werner covers which settings work best for each situation and closes with three important reframing tips. - **0:20 – 360 Mode vs Single Lens Mode.** Tapping the camera icon opens the mode menu; swipe left and right to choose a shooting mode, and the choices depend on whether you're in 360 or single-lens mode. The X4 has two lenses and two sensors that are stitched into a 360 image; single-lens mode uses only one. ![[images/Insta360 X4 The Absolute Best Settings-t0045.webp]] - Two reasons to use single-lens mode: no reframing is needed so clips are usable immediately, and in difficult, unbalanced light (one side of the camera well lit, the other not) the camera can expose for just one side, which 360 mode can't do. - Single-lens shoots true 4K, while a reframed 360 shot exported at 4K really has at most about 2.7K of detail. In good, even light the difference is small, since it's the same sensor and lens. - Me mode skips reframing too, keeps you centred automatically and adds the invisible selfie stick effect, which is ideal for filming yourself and sharing straight from the phone. Otherwise he'd avoid it, because the shot can only be edited to a limited extent. - Outside those cases, prefer 360 mode, since only it gives you the camera's real strengths. - **2:32 – Video vs Active HDR.** In 360 mode the two modes that matter are standard video and Active HDR. For hyperlapses you can use TimeShift, or just speed up normal video in post; for timelapses he recommends Interval mode, which shoots photos you combine later and gives better quality than the traditional timelapse mode. ![[images/Insta360 X4 The Absolute Best Settings-t0310.webp]] - Active HDR is meant for scenes with very bright and very dark areas at once, preserving detail in highlights that would otherwise burn out. - He'd only use it in those exceptional situations: it is unsuitable for low light (much more noise than normal video) and offers far fewer recording settings than standard video mode. - **3:56 – The Best Settings for 360 Video.** Resolution and frame rate must be chosen together, because available frame rates depend on resolution. The default is 5.7K30, but the X4 can also shoot 8K and 5.7K+ in 360 mode. - 8K gives the best image quality, and the difference is visible beyond a phone screen, because reframing crops heavily: 8K ends up around 2.7K after reframing, 5.7K around 1080p. - 8K's downsides are very large files and a 30 fps maximum; 5.7K goes up to 60 fps. - Frame-rate rule: shoot clips at the frame rate of the project they're going into (30 fps project, shoot 30; 25 fps project, shoot 25). More frames look smoother; 24 fps reads as cinematic, but 360 cameras are mostly used for action and nature, where an immersive, natural look works better at higher frame rates, and 60 fps looks most natural. - The dilemma is 8K resolution vs 60 fps. Werner watches on a large screen and makes his videos at 30 fps, so he prefers 8K30; if you mostly watch on a phone and want a smooth natural look, choose 5.7K60. - In low light use a lower frame rate (more time to gather light) and 5.7K rather than 8K, since noise is handled better at that resolution. He points to his low light tutorial. - 5.7K+ is also capped at 30 fps but makes much smaller files than 8K, with quality roughly between 5.7K and 8K. - Summary: 8K30 for best quality, 5.7K60 for a smoother natural look, 5.7K at 30 fps or less (ideally 24 or 25) in low light, and 5.7K+ for slightly lower quality and smaller files. - Slow motion: 5.7K60 allows up to about 40% slow motion, but really good slow motion needs at least 100 fps, which means dropping to 4K and visibly poorer image quality. Only use 100 fps when you're sure you'll get an interesting slow-motion shot. - **9:00 – The Advanced Capture Settings Explained.** Swiping left from the right edge opens advanced capture settings, in automatic or fully manual exposure. ![[images/Insta360 X4 The Absolute Best Settings-t0910.webp]] - Colour profile: Standard, Vivid, or Flat. Vivid adds a lot of saturation and suits sharing unedited clips on social media; Standard looks more natural and is his usual choice and fine for light correction; Flat is better for stronger colour grading and gives slightly better dynamic range, though it isn't a true log profile so the gains are small. - EV (exposure value): a slightly negative value can protect highlights, since blown highlights can't be recovered but a slightly dark shot is easy to brighten. - Low light stabilisation: in the dark the X4 lengthens exposure, causing motion blur and jerky stabilisation. This setting improves stabilisation but lowers overall quality because a higher ISO is used. Remember to use 5.7K in low light. - White balance: auto works well and he usually leaves it there. Manual helps for longer shots in consistent light so the camera doesn't shift mid-shot; around 5500 is suggested outdoors on a sunny day. - Balanced Exposure: the X4 has to expose both lenses so they stitch well, which is hard when one side is bright and the other dark (for example, a chest mount with one lens against your body). Balanced Exposure can do better than auto there, and holding the camera sideways to the light also helps. - Manual mode adds ISO and shutter speed. A longer exposure brightens the image; a higher ISO brightens it but lowers quality. He'd only set both manually in low light, and reminds viewers the X4, like most action cameras, is made for daylight. - **12:57 – Field of view.** Since FOV can be changed freely when reframing, the shooting setting is only a starting point, but the right one speeds reframing up. He usually uses Mega, a very wide view with some distortion corrected. - **13:15 – Bitrate & Sharpness.** In the main menu's Settings, under image settings: set video bitrate to High for the best quality (Standard only to save storage). ![[images/Insta360 X4 The Absolute Best Settings-t1325.webp]] - Sharpness: much of the X4's sharpness is artificial edge contrast (digital sharpening) that looks unprofessional and is hard to remove later. Use Low if you plan to edit and add sharpening in your editor, and at least drop to Medium even if you don't edit. - **14:26 – Tips & Tricks for Reframing.** Not a full reframing tutorial (see his X4 beginner tutorial), but three things that affect quality. ![[images/Insta360 X4 The Absolute Best Settings-t1440.webp]] - Zoom balance: zooming in crops and loses resolution; zooming out shows more distortion until the shot looks like a sphere and the subject shrinks. Mega is usually a good compromise; underwater, where distortion is less noticeable but the dive case softens the image, he zooms out further. - Keep the subject nearer the centre: classic composition puts the head near the top, but distortion is strongest at the edges, so in 360 shots it often looks better to leave more space at the top. - Export: in the mobile app choose Custom, 4K and 150 Mbps. The absolute best results come from the desktop app, which offers ProRes under Format for nearly lossless export, at the cost of very large files. - **16:05 – Recap and wrap-up.** Use single-lens only when you don't want to reframe or the light is very uneven; 8K30 for best quality or 5.7K60 for a more natural look; colour Standard, or Flat if grading; EV at -0.3 or -0.7; sharpness Medium, or Low if editing; watch distortion when reframing; export ProRes for the best quality. If you're often unhappy with your 360 footage, watch his X4 beginner mistakes video. He mentions a big Insta360 sale with a free gift via his links, including the X4 at 15% off with a free Bullet Time Kit, and promises more X4 videos. ## Things mentioned ### Cameras - Insta360 X4 (the subject of the video) ### Shooting modes - 360 mode and single-lens mode - Me mode (auto-centred subject with invisible selfie stick, limited editing) - Standard video mode - Active HDR mode - TimeShift (hyperlapse) - Interval mode (photo-based timelapse) vs traditional timelapse mode ### Resolutions and frame rates - 8K30 (best quality, about 2.7K after reframing, very large files) - 5.7K+ at up to 30 fps (smaller files, quality between 5.7K and 8K) - 5.7K at up to 60 fps (about 1080p after reframing; best for low light) - 4K100 for slow motion (visibly lower quality) - 24, 25, 30 and 60 fps trade-offs ### Settings and features - Advanced capture settings: auto vs manual exposure - Colour profiles: Standard, Vivid, Flat (not a true log profile) - EV / exposure compensation (-0.3 or -0.7 recommended) - Low light stabilisation - White balance (auto; about 5500 K outdoors in sun when manual) - Balanced Exposure - Manual ISO and shutter speed - Field of view, especially Mega - Video bitrate: High vs Standard - Video sharpness: Low, Medium (digital sharpening) - Invisible selfie stick effect ### Software and export - Insta360 mobile app reframing and Custom export at 4K, 150 Mbps - Insta360 desktop app (Insta360 Studio) ProRes export ### Accessories - Chest mount (example of uneven lighting between lenses) - Dive case (softens underwater shots) - Bullet Time Kit (free with the X4 in the sale) - Insta360 Action Selfie Stick (free with the X4 via the description link) ### Related MountMedia videos - Insta360 X4 Low Light Tutorial - Insta360 X4 Beginner Mistakes - Insta360 X4 Full Beginner Tutorial - Insta360 X4 The Best Accessories ### Purchase options - In the video: big Insta360 sale, X4 15% off with a free Bullet Time Kit via the description links - Description: Insta360 X4 at 15% off plus a free Action Selfie Stick via affiliate link - Insta360 accessories via affiliate link - Audiio music licensing (affiliate link) ## Bios - **Werner Plank** is the creator and host of MountMedia, an Austrian-based YouTube channel focused on in-depth reviews, comparisons and tutorials for 360 and action cameras, especially Insta360, DJI and GoPro, often filmed in the mountains.